Russell — Villages
Extracted from "History of the Connecticut Valley in Massachusetts, Volume II," by Louis H. Everts, 1879.
The only village in the town is the village of RUSSELL, a station on the Boston and Albany Railroad, and located on the Westfield River, where the stream receives the waters of Black's Brook, from which the village derives its water-power. Here are two churches, the town-hall, an excellent district school, hotel, post-office, two stores, and several small manufactories. A large tannery established here some years ago was recently destroyed by fire, but is likely to be restored shortly. The village numbers about 200 inhabitants, and in the summer and autumn seasons gains considerable business from the large influx of visitors who tarry there en route to the mountains of Blandford and Montgomery.
There are two small settlements on the Westfield River, near Russell village, one two miles south, at the Jessup & Laflin paper-mill, and one two miles northwest, at the Chapin & Gould paper-mill. These settlements are peopled by the employes of the mills, and include an aggregate population of about 200.
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